Anyone starting a new cycle at hammersmith?

[fullyloadednachoes]

Hi All...

Was wondering if anyone has started a new cycle at hammersmith?

Or waiting to have their first consultation?

wanna know if there is anyone in the same boat as me, this wait seems like it's forever...

Hi, I am waiting too and it does seem to be taking forever. I keep calling and getting told I will receive a letter in a few days. Nothing yet...

Hi @OhPeanuts

It's a painful wait, but we got to hang in there!!!

Would this be your first ever appointment with them?

Isn’t it so painful! I’m glad to be able to chat with someone waiting for the same thing though! Have you been contacting them for info loads as well?

Yep mine will be my very first consultation, it was cancelled earlier in the year due to COVID.

Is it going to be your first consultation?

Yes, first consultation also! I was referred from another fertility clinic in Jan this year after having all the relevant tests, and had my first appointment booked for mid March, but got told it was going to be cancelled coupla days before. Was absolutely gutted, but understood and accepted why its happened, was ok about it tbh during the lockdown period..

But since the news is out that clinics are to resume treatment, my anxiety has shot up, just waiting for the next appointment to come! Also worried it might get cancelled or delayed again.. Just a roller coaster of emotions.

I guess we should be glad that these services are up and running, and it will be our time soon. And think of this waiting time as timeing time to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for it!! :D

It's great to have someone at my stage too! So just so you know...You're not alone x

Oh wow we are in the exact same boat, mine was also cancelled a day or so before back in March! I’m so glad we “met” haha

I know I’m exactly the same, I keep thinking how long we’ve been waiting and it makes me feel so anxious and I can’t stop worrying that it will be pushed out so far that there is a second coronavirus wave in autumn and then I have no chance at all! I am trying not to think this way but it’s so hard when it’s just an endless waiting game.

I have started the vitamins and all that again to prepare and a bit more exercise so this time is not “wasted”

I’ll let you know when I get my letter through and feel free to check in any time if you need a chat xx

Hi ladies, I’m due to start a fresh ivf cycle in early July so probably a bit behind you guys on the time line so will be interested to hear your experiences as you proceed on this journey and your experiences of actually going in to the clinic etc
Wishing everyone the best of luck in this journey ahead.....exciting but scary times ahead I think! X

@PositiveThinkerAlways

Hi ladies, I’m due to start a fresh ivf cycle in early July so probably a bit behind you guys on the time line so will be interested to hear your experiences as you proceed on this journey and your experiences of actually going in to the clinic etc Wishing everyone the best of luck in this journey ahead.....exciting but scary times ahead I think! X

Hi I wonder if you are actually ahead as I have still not got any confirmation for a consultation yet at all. Have you got a date confirmed for yours?

Definitely exciting and scary! So glad a couple of us can chat though, makes it less daunting! Xx

Oh then yes I am a bit ahead. My cycle was cancelled just before lockdown so I’ve had an online consultation a few weeks ago in view of restarting treatment on July 1st.... just waiting for that date now....it’s def been one long wait!
I think they are prioritising patients who were cancelled rather than new patients. Did you start before lockdown?

Yes it is helpful to be able to chat to people at the same clinic too and swap experiences. X

@OhPeanuts - Hey, so I have an appointment come through for Mid July should be more positive and grateful, but i'm hoping it doesn't get cancelled again. You heard anything yet? I'm sure they are booking them a week or so at a time, so they can ease themselves into it.

@PositiveThinkerAlways - Hi :) Yes you sure are ahead of us ... that's great for you, I'm glad you are getting closer to starting treatment! So what will you next appt be for in early July? And when was your first video consultation? So before Covid19, had you already had your first consultation? I'm sorry, I have so many questions for you ...

It's great to know there's some movement at the clinic, even if it's slow, it's very reassuring :)

@fullyloadednachoes Yes my initial consultation was in Feb (in person) then I rang on March 20th to book my first baseline scan only to be told the clinic was shut because of covid. So it’s been a long wait since then!
I had an online consultation with a nurse a few weeks ago and was due to start treatment the following week but was called and told not to start the medication as they was a delay in their starting up processes, so had to wait for my June cycle so now waiting for day 14 of my cycle to start the tablets and actually begin. It’s been a LOT of waiting so far and I keep expecting to be called and the whole process to be delayed further so I’m still very anxious that it may not actually happen. My next appointment is for covid swabs so I’m staying home at lot to minimise my risk of getting covid as I would be devastated if I got it and everything was cancelled. I have a ton of medication in my fridge since Feb so it needs to be used soon!
Good news about your upcoming appointment. Hopefully the process should start quite quickly for you once that consultation happens. Keep us posted!
Oh and ask any questions you like, I’m more than happy to share anything I know that may help in any way x

Hi all, I’m currently doing a FET. It’s a little bit disorganized at the moment as everyone is still trying to get their heads around the new protocols but things do get sorted out eventually! Hopefully the teething problems will be ironed out by next month but thought it might be reassuring to know that treatments are progressing at the moment. I’m in one of the first cohorts to go thru as we were cancelled mid-cycle in March. X

@PositiveThinkerAlways - thanks for the breakdown! I have everything crossed for you that it all goes ahead as scheduled for you!!! 🤞When is CD14?
After your first consultation, I have read somewhere there is a coordination appointment but I didn't know what that included. Is that nurse-led? is that the appointment you get taught about injections? and when do you "sign the forms"?

@Lemongrass1 - Hi! :) Nice to know you the clinic is starting up. Where are you in the whole process and whats next for you?

@Lemongrass1 Yes, it is reassuring to know treatments are def going ahead and hopefully the clinic are learning and adjusting things as they go along and try to adapt to the new situation. Hope things are going well for you and everything is working out as planned 🤞🤞

@fullyloadednachoes From what I remember, the coordination appointment is with a nurse who will go through all the paperwork with you, which you sign while she witnesses it and then counter signs it. She will talk through the protocol you are on and give you a date to ring the clinic and register your cycle, usually on day 1 of your period and book your first scan, usually for day 2 or 3 of your period. Once you start the injections the nurse will show you how to do them on that day.
I have to take a tablet to time my period so will be taking that on the 1st July and period should arrive around the 17th July so will ring and book a baseline scan then.
Hope that helps and all makes sense!! X

@fullyloadednachoes hello, glad to hear you got your appointment, I finally have mine as well for early June.

@PositiveThinkerAlways thank you for sharing your experiences with us! I hope all is still going as planned for you. You’re due to start your tablets in a few days so that’s exciting!

@Lemongrass1 good luck for your transfer! Have you got a date for it already booked in?

Does anyone have any tips for questions to ask during first consultation? Is there anything that is best to clarify or ask early on?

And at what point do you get to know what your protocol is going to be? Does the nurse put this together or a dr and do you get any say in it?

I mean early July not June

Good to hear appointments are coming through for people.
@OhPeanuts My best advice is to get your thyroid and vitamin d levels checked through your GP (or pay privately if you have to) as these factors can influence the success of getting pregnant. Unfortunately this is something I only realised after 2 failed cycles and it is not something the clinic routinely check or test for so try and get them done yourself so you can take medication or supplements as soon as possible before you begin. I really wish someone had told me this a few years ago!

@PositiveThinkerAlways thank you for that brilliant advice . I have had both checked and am taking vitamin d supplements as mine was low but that was last year so I think I should try and get it retested at this point.

Hope you’re all having a lovely weekend

Hi all, I’ve just found this thread and wanted to say hi as I’m also at Hammersmith and starting my injections next week after having to stop my previous round when lockdown happened. Really wanted to find some people who are going through the same thing as me at the same time!

Maybe you have found answers to some of your questions elsewhere already but one thing I didn’t know about The Wolfson clinic was that pretty much everyone would go on 14 days of norethisterone to regulate your cycle. I also wish I had pushed for more specific answers at some of my earlier appointments!

I also wished I had checked my thyroid levels when deciding to start trying...would have saved me a year at least!

@Violetvice hi thanks so much! That info is really helpful to know. I am so new to the whole thing so just going in with some sort of clue feels reassuring to me.

Sorry to hear about you having to stop the process but so so happy for you that you can start your injections soon. how are you feeling about it?

@Violetvice Welcome to this thread! It’s really nice to talk to ladies who are at the same clinic as me and going through the same situation.
I have never really understood the need for taking noreisthrone if my periods are very regular but the clinic say it helps to prevent cysts on the ovaries which I did get on my previous cycle and I didn’t take them on that cycle so maybe they do work for that reason!

Hope everyone is keeping well. I’m trying to be uber healthy now to prepare my body for what’s coming up but it’s quite difficult in the current circumstances! How is everyone else getting on?

@OhPeanuts it can be so overwhelming can’t it. Get your list of questions ready for every appointment and ask the same thing twice if you don’t think you’ve understood it properly.

@PositiveThinkerAlways thanks! And good to know about norethisterone, makes sense as my cycle is also regular so I wasn’t expecting to take it.

What are you doing to stay healthy at the moment and do you have any tips? I’ve stopped exercise apart from a bit of pre natal yoga and dog walking. I was planning on having acupuncture but obviously not possible now!

Are any of you taking time off work/are already off work? My sister in law took a year off for IVF (!) I’m not in a position to do that and also have not told my work I’m doing IVF so only taking a week.

Oh and @OhPeanuts....I am feeling so excited to finally start this! Not sure about you but with more waiting time added on by lockdown I’m now counting down every day until I can be back in that clinic. How about you?

@Violetvice definitely thank you! I am going to sit down with hubby tonight and write down our initial questions and keep a log so nothing goes unanswered. I am usually so unorganised with personal life but I am obsessing over this so much that I can’t stop myself doing these things haha

I was wondering about time off too... I haven’t told work that I’m looking into this and kind of feel like I shouldn’t have to - “regular” people go off and get pregnant whenever it suits them so I’m a bit reluctant. I know there is obviously a big difference in that regular people don’t have to go to all of these appointments so not sure what to do yet. I might try to see what the clinic says and just take some annual leave days. Thanks to coronavirus I’m not going on holiday anyway

What does your sister in law do to be able to just take a year off! I need to switch to whatever she’s doing haha

Glad you’re feeling excited! I’m exactly the same, can’t wait now to just get started and finally take some action after 3 years of nothingness!

How are the nurses and doctors there, are they nice/approachable? It is so scary when they aren’t easy to talk to and make you feel silly

Yes I’m also eager to get this process started as ivf involves a LOT of waiting and it hasn’t helped having treatment stopped just before lockdown as it just added ANOTHER 3+ months of waiting!

I’m on my third round of ivf (all fresh cycles) and I haven’t told my work about any of them. I have just taken an hour or so off for scans or just said it was a doctors appointment and then a week off for EC & ET and then back to work. I’m currently working from home so this will make attending appointments much easier although I think I will be called back in to the office soon so hoping I can get to ET before this happens 🤞
It’s very strange to have all of this ivf stuff going on and pretending everything is normal when at work.
@Violetvice
I did an online course delivered by Zita West (her clinic has good ivf success rates) at the beginning of lockdown and I’m following a lot of her advice. This includes low level exercise (yoga & walking), following the Mediterranean diet, drinking lots of water, minimising caffeine, sugar & artificial sweeteners, taking supplements & vitamins to increase egg quality and once I start injections stopping alcohol (easier said than done!) and increasing protein intake to about 100g per day. I should be the healthiest I’ve ever been with these changes!
@ohpeanuts Most of the staff there are nice, particularly the people who do your scans and the nurses that look after you during EC & ET are lovely and caring.

It’s sooooooo nice to talk to ladies at my clinic so thank you all x

Hi @Violetvice :) It's so nice to know there's more of us out there Thanks for the checklist of Zita West to-do's I too am counting down the days so eagerly, trying to fill each day with something to keep me busy, because the waiting is doing my nut in, I'm driving myself crazy!! I started working this week after this being home during this lockdown, I work in the health sector, and I'm sooooo glad to be working, able to keep my mind away from IVF, it really helps being distracted.

@PositiveThinkerAlways - Woh!! You start Norethisterone tmrw, How you feeling about it? Thanks for all the advice, I'm taking vitD supplements and thyroid is fine, also taking other supplements I read on other posts like, vitC with zinc, omega 3,6,9, few others too. I was doing some high intensity workouts during covid, but I've cut back on them now which really helped me manage my emotions better, made me feel good, need to start that back up, but slow it down. Also I've been trying some breathing exercises which helps, but its just hard making it part of my daily routine, I guess now is the time to start and not put it off any longer.

@OhPeanuts - eeeeeek this first consultation is around the corner for us, I am feeling just the same as you. I am also so disorganised generally in life with most things, but this IVF stuff... I'm constantly thinking about it, and want to be so well prepared. Like @Violetvice mentioned about wishing she asked more questions, I want to make sure I've asked the most important questions. What date is your first appt? I'm compiling a list of questions for this first consultation, I'll share it with you so you can compare it with yours :)

I'm glad to have met you ladies on here ... I think it's gonna be an interesting if not eventful few weeks